Making House
by Muffins Planned
Summary: Bella had always known what to expect from her life, grown to accept and even love parts of what was in store for her. Then all of her plans are abruptly changed, and she's thrust into a world she has no idea how to navigate with a stranger by her side. EdwardxBella
1. Chapter 1

Title: Making House  
Summary:_Bella had always known what to expect from her life, grown to accept and even love parts of what was in store for her. Then all of her plans are abruptly changed, and she's thrust into a world she has no idea how to navigate with a stranger by her side. EdwardxBella_

This is a new story that I've just started writing. I am going to attempt writing and publishing as I go for REAL for the first time in 4-5 years. I've always published finished stories, so let's see how this goes! This story will contain adult language, sexual content, possibly other mature content that could require a warning before reading. I will do my best to avoid triggering people, so I will always start chapters containing possible triggers to have a warning.

I apologize for the spelling. There are a few, ehm, excuses for that. I mix american and british english spellings a lot, and I also don't currently have a spell checking program because my computer is brand new and it confuses me a whole lot. I've tried having a beta in the past, but I'm not cut out for that kind of thing, heh. If you're looking for a HEA story this might not be it. I have a rough outline for the story, but the ending... I do all kinds of endings, but I have killed off almost everyone in the last chapter before. So, don't trust me with these kids, okay?

I hope you enjoy this story, and reviews, follows, and favorites makes the fanfic writer happy, so remember that!

* * *

From my seat on the couch I could see the whole sitting room. With my back stiff, and my head bent slightly as if I was deeply imerged in my book, I could see my parents talk with someone I vaguely recognised from our summer trips. Compared to my parents' shortstatures, delicate frames, and dark hair, the man was tall and blond with broad shoulders. If I remembered correctly he was the owner of the properties on the east end of the beach strip our summer house was located, he would sometimes spend a few weeks there. I knew that he had two son's, both of them a few years older than me, so I had never had the opportunity to meet them. Of course I knew that this was about to change, my parents' curious and excited expressions told me as much.

When I was about seven years old my parents had sat me down on the couch, much like this one but located in the study on the other side of our house, and told me about my future. While some part of me was excited back then, in my innocence how could I not have been? Their future ensured me of everything a small child could dream of, because anything other than an ending resulting in happiness was not fantomable. With time came the weariness, the dejectedness, and the disappointment that there wasn't much in life for me to figure out on my own, that there was no uncertainity, no not knowing.

A part of life was, after all, not knowing what would happen at the turn of a corner. With parents like mine few things were left up to chance. I suspect that the sudden departure of the Black family, as people preferred to call it, left them with many sleepless nights. That Carisle Cullen was standing in our home surprised me, I had expected them to have been insured with a good future before their first breath had even been taken.

To keep up my charade I absentmindedly turned a page in the book, breifly scanning over the text before I returned my gaze towards them. Their conversation appeared to be over, and when they started to walk towards me I strained my ears to hear some of their converstion.

"Well, he isn't happy about it, but the way Elizabeth has let him run I shouldn't have expected anything else," I heard Carlisle say. From my understanding Elizabeth was his wife, a woman he always appeared to only tolerated because their circumstances forced him to. While my parents weren't in love, they at least respected each other.

"I am sure that this will bring out the good in him," my mother said cryptically, probably knowing that I was eavesdropping. "This is Isabella, Mr Cullen." Hearing my name being announced I glanced up from my book, and for the first time got a good look of the man that had spent the last hour talking to my parents. He was incredibly good looking, there was something youthful about his appearance despite being at least a decade older than both of my parents, who were already worn with thephysical effects of aging. What he made up for in looks was completely void in his eyes. I'd grown up with the belief that there was always good in everyone, but I was uncertain now that I saw his eyes. Whatever had been good in him before had been completely wiped away by now.

The cool way he regarded me, as if I was nothing but a product on display, caused a shiver to run through my body. His eyes darted across my face, then down towards the book I had in my lap.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Swan," he said with a curt nod. I smiled as sweetly as I could, mustering up every inch of manners my parents had stuffed me with my whole life, and stood up to curtsey to him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr Cullen." I bowed my head, and then peered up at his amused expression.

"This one has manners, compared to the rat." There was venom dripping from his voice as he spat the word rat. I was unsure as to whom he was refering to, and I knew well enough not to ask.

"I assure you that Isabella is everything you could wish for," my dad injected. Carlisle appeared to want to roll his eyes, and just barely was able to stop it.

"Well, I will be back with my son tomorrow so you can meet, I hope for all of this to be a speedy happening, this has been dragging on for too long."

When Mr Cullen left I was left with a sinking feeling in my stomach. While I had always been disappointed in my lack of spontaneity in my life, I had learnt to look forward to some parts of the future that I had in front of me. Now I was fearing that Mr Cullen was about to rob me of all of it.

Ever since I was twelve years old I knew I was set to marry someone, until six months ago that person had been Jacob Black, a sprawny boy that bloomed into puberty long after the other boys. He was kind, harmless, and would give me a future where I knew I would have freedom. He would be too kind to refuse me that. Now that the Blacks were gone, that future was ripped from me.

Before thay'd left Jake and I had already begun to plan our wedding, not in great detail, but we were agreeing on things. We wanted it on the beach at our summer houses during summer, it would be as extravagant as our lifestyle would demand it to be, we would have written our own vows, and our wedding song would be the one we danced our first slow dance to in middle school. I might not have loved Jake, but I cared for him deeply, and was alright with marrying him.

If Mr Cullen demanded a hasty wedding, as his words would suggest, I wouldn't get to have a beach wedding with self-written vows, marrying a person I knew and respected. It would most likely be terrifying, and far from the wedding I had imagined.

My parents did confirm my suspiscion that it was my marriage they were talking about. In another world, beyond the gates of Hawford, there were people who found the person they wanted to marry themselves, but here parents only let you marry someone they could trust. Money makes you vulnerable, and you can't let the wrong person get to it.

Knowing I was about to meet my future husband the next day I spent my night fighting a herd of elephants raging in my stomach. At 12 I had not understood the magnitude of what would the meeting I had with Jake Black would lead to. This time I was old enough to understand what was happening, the comittment I would be making to a stranger. That was the difference eight years would make, it would make you grow up and understand fear. It would make you see how reasonable that fear was, too, causing even more fear. Thus the cycle begun.

My night routine was hurried, I dreaded going to bed, but at the same time longed for the comfort of the heavy covers. When I washed my face I worried what he'd think about my looks, would he deem me too plain? As I brushed my hair I worried if he would think my thick mane of brown hair was dull, if he preferred girls with shorter hair, maybe hair that was so blonde that it shone when the sun touched it, like it did with Rosalie McCarty's hair. Undressing I started worrying about my underwear, which was irrational because he would not see them until after the wedding, but I worried because I knew I'd want to buy new ones before then. With Jake I never had that worry, but he had seen me undressed.

The last worry was just that, too; would he want me if I knew I was almost not a virgin? Only my fear had stopped me before. Ill equipped with knowledge of safe sex, but enough to know that we knew too little, I had halted it before it got too far. While I had no qualms about going against my parent's wishes of being a virgin on my wedding night, I didn't want them to know it, and I definitely did not want to be pregnant before I was wed. That would bring shame upon both our families, but mostly mine.

I cralwed into my bed, trying to remember what the two Cullen men looked like, and their names. Much like those living here in Hawford, for those with beach houses in Voltura names were always classic. A child was given a name that as an adult would adorn buildings, company names, and demand respect. Any modern, cutesy, or creative names were looked down upon. No one here would even hire a cleaner with a name they didn't think was appropriate. Common names were Charles, Robert and Richard among men, I had never met any one with the name Taylor, or Jordan. None of those names rang a bell with me.

I flopped around in my bed for most of the night, but when I looked at the clock for the twentieth time, and it was only 2am, I got out of bed, put on my fluffy purple robe and brown slippers, and walked down into the kitchen. In most homes I imagine that the kitchen was empty at night, but in my house night time was when the kitchen staff prepared breakfast and lunch for my family whenever we'd be having guests over the following day. So when I walked into the kitchen and found the house cook standing by the stove stirring a pot, I wasn't surprised in the least.

Elise was the house cook and an older woman with a soft body and an even softer smile. She was often times the one I sought comfort in the most as a child, and I still viewed her as a big motherly figure in my life.

"What's wrong sweetcakes?" she asked as I stood next to her by the stove. She stroked my cheek tenderly, just as she always did. "Why are you up at this hour?"

"They found Jake's replacement," I said bitterly, my voice souring at the word replacment. No one could replace him.

"Couldn't let you get on with your life?" It wasn't really a question, it sounded more like she was disappointed. "I knew this day would come, honey, do you know who it is?"

"One of Mr Cullen's sons, do you know them?" I stood on my toes so that I could look at what she was stirring. It was a dark thicker liquid that I couldn't name. I wished I could cook, but my mom never let me. The little I knew Elise had taught me. It, apparently, wasn't becoming of a fine young lady to be acting like a staff.

"You don't know who yet?" Her eyebrows shot up in her forehead. "Well, I do actually know who they are..." Elise trailed off. I stayed by the stove, leaning against the counter next to it, as she turned around and walked towards a cupboard at the other side of the kitchen. "First there is Jasper Cullen, he is four years older than you, but he's already married to Mary-Alice, and I do know that their father now regrets that union because... he doesn't really approve of her."

"So not Jasper then, unless he wants to make them divorce, which I doubt would ever happen." Divorce was regarded as lowly to most people, and a failed marriage ending in divorce was enough to have you ailienated by everyone. I wondered if Mary-Alice was the rat Mr Cullen had been talking about.

"Edward is older, so I'm surprised that your father would agree to it, and even more surprised that he's not married yet..." Elise walked back towards me with a packet in her hand. I didn't look to see what it was. "He is 27, went to some Ivy League school, he was gone after that, but something must have happened to make him return..."

"27 as in he is or about to turn 27, or is he well on his way to be 28?" I asked, weary. I knew my parents wanted me to marry, and men with respectable, and rich, families didn't grow on trees, a 7 year age difference was a bit of a reach, even for them.

"I may know some, but not that much," Elise said with a smirk on her face. "There is Nutella in the cupboard if you want."

"How come you know all of this?" In the cupboard I found a jar of Nutella, as promised, and in a drawer next to it I found cutlery that would never touch my family's dining table. If my parents knew I ate Nutella, and that I ate it straight out of the jar in the middle of the night next to the house chef, they would freak if they knew, but what they didn't know didn't hurt me.

"House staff love to gossip, it's our currency." The look on Elise's face was that mischevious one that I had always loved, ever since I was a kid.

"Can you tell me anything about Micheal and Jessica's wedding?" I was leaning over the counter by now, watching her work on the food. I would've offered the help, but knew she'd get offended then by experience. My want to know about their wedding may have been strange for other people, Jessica and I used to be friends in high school, but after the debacle with the Blacks we hadn't seen each other. It also didn't help that the Newton's had wanted Mike to marry me, and that Jessica was second choice. When that came out it tore what little of our friendship that was left into shreds. We were supposed to have gotten married around the same time. She in May, and I in June. Whatever she is doing now I was supposed to be doing too, if Jake and I were still about to get married.

"I don't know if there's much to tell, I know there is cake drama, but Hawford ladies seem to always have some drama over cake." Jake and I wouldn't have had drama, our cake would've been chocolate sponge with white chocolate coating, and we were supposed to have red velvet cupcakes, too. Our names would have been on them. I sighed dejectedly."What's with the sad face, honey?"

"Just thinking about Jake... I miss him." I put a big mouthful of chocolate almond deliciousness in my mouth.

"And he misses you too." No matter how good it tasted, it grew in my mouth as I fought back the tears. He'd have made a good husband, one other girls would have been secretly envious of. I knew they teased him before, but once he did bloom out in puberty they knew they were not just missing a fantastic person, but someone who looked really good, too. He was too beautiful.

"I wish I could see him." The Nutella wasn't as appealing anymore, so I stabbed into the jar with my spoon.

"One day you will hon, but first you have to get married," she stroked my cheek. We both wished those would have been comforting words, I knew that.

"Yeah, to Edward."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I stayed with Elise for almost an hour before she sent me to bed. With my stomach filled with too much sugar, and my thoughts running wild with the thought of 27 year old Edward, the little sleep I got was restless, and I woke up in a panic when I managed to get myself twisted in my sheets. By the time my alarm clock went off at 9am I was more exhausted then I was when I went to bed last night. The bags under my eyes were heavy and blue, and the second my mother put her eyes on me she sent me back to my room to apply concealer. While Edward may not have a choice in marrying me, and would most likely see me in far worse shape than this in the future, a first impression was important for it to be good. Not only to show our status, but because first impressions had far more effect on your future marriage than most people thought it did. It sticks with you for a long time, hard to shake off, and shapes your relationship completely.

The second time I descend the stairs my mother gives me an approving nod, and I head into the breakfast room. It was a room much smaller than our dining room, with four chairs around a round table. The windows that took up three of the walls gave a view of our lush backyard, and the windows were draped with light seafoam green cutains. It was a nice airy room that was supposed to be a bit more comfortable and relaxed than the dining room, yet it had never had that effect on me.

I sat down on the chair, all chairs were cushioned, the fabric matching the drapes. On the other side of the table my dad was sitting, immersed in today's newspaper. I saw that it was the economic section. He only read the economic section in the mornings when he was nervous, worried, or both. I debated reaching across to take the hand that was resting on the table in mine, but decided against it. That wouldn't lead to any good. Instead I poured myself some coffee, and put a generous amount of scrambled eggs and bacon on my plate, knowing that in my parents eyes it would be far too much, but not finding it in me to care at this moment. I was about to marry a 27 year old man I had never met, I could indulge myself in Margaret's scrambled eggs. If Elise worked night, Margret worked the morning. I'd never tell Elise, but Margaret's scrambled eggs were something from the gods.

It turned out that my father was far more nervous than I had expected, so he was completely lost in the paper, meaning that I could gorge myself on the food without any disapproving looks. By the time I had taken the last bite of eggs, and regretting the portion size due to my now too full stomach, my mother walked in briskly and sat down in the chair next to my dad.

"The Cullen family will be here in an hour, and I want you to remember Bella how important this is." Her eyes were fixed on mine, making the demand hidden in there absolutely clear. I would behave, and be nothing but the perfect future bride. "Maybe it was a blessing that the Blacks... Isabella marrying a Cullen will be a big thing."

If Reené was like any other mother she wouldn't have said that, she wouldn't have been completely oblivious to her daughter's feelings, of the loss she had gone through, and the dread she had about what she was about to face. My mother wasn't like other mothers though, she had never had any motherly urges or feelings, and have spend most of my life pawning off responsibbility torwards me on others. That I married someone influential was pivotal, and one of the few things she cared about me doing in this world. Another thing was me having children, not so that she would become a grandmother, that she dreaded, but to secure an heir for my husband's business, and my family's business. It became clear in my younger years that I was not fit to run a company, not only for what I had between my legs, but because I wasn't cut-throat enough. I was too kind, apparently.

"I'm sure Jacob would have been a good husband to our daughter," dad said behind his paper. He gave me a look above it, one that said it all. While my dad was almost equally bad as my mother at being a parent, he'd never hidden the fact that he loved me. It was expressed in inconventional ways, but it was at least shown.

"I'm sure he would've," my mother said, but didn't seem to be convinced.

The dress I wore wasn't something I would've chosen myself, in fact any dress was far fom what I would have ever chosen to wear. It was a navy blue dress, th hem of the flairy skirt touched the under side of my knees, barely skimming my shins, and the top of it dipped modestly down past my collarbone, hugging my barely there curves, and held up by an inch thick straps. If I had been in charge I would have picked a pair of skinny jeans, and possibly a blouse. One of my dad's flannel shirts that he wore whenever my mother was away on trips also would have worked.

This dress made me feel self-conscious, and made me stretch my back uncomfortably. If I slouched even just a little the tiny rolls created on my stomach would be too visible, and no matter what, there was no way to convince my mother it was acceptable. I was skinny as a rail, and that was probably the reason for my mosquito-bite breasts, yet my mother still berrated me if a single roll naturally formed on mystomach appeared.

When no one was around I slouched back on the couch I was sitting on, leaning my face in my hands, and peering through my fingers to see the time. At any minute my future husband would walk through the door, but by now the elephants had taken a rest in my stomach, and I had only been left with resignation. What could I do? All I had left was the hope that this man would treat me kindly, and act as a partner, a friend, and not shut me out. This could be the beginning of a lonely life.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't hear the doorbell, and it was when they rounded the corner that I realized that the time was up, I was about to see him for the first time. I quickly stood up fron the couch, brushing imaginary wrinkles out of my skirt, and turned my gaze towards him. While Carlisle Cullen was a handsom man, Edward obviously did not get his good looks from him. Next to Carlisle he seemed so much darker. His hair was brown, eyes darker, not blue, his shoulders were even broader than Carlisle, and he might have been even taller. Most details escaped me then, I was only able to take in the fact that he was impossibly handsome, in a way that could never fit into the real world. People must've stared at him wherever he went.

"Ah, Edward, this is my daughter Isabella," my dad said. I hadn't seen him appear, but he was standing just next to Edward, holding out a hand to gesture towards me. I smiled carefully, unable to find a voice in me to speak with. "Isabella, this is Edward." Edward and I shook hands, and I noticed that his hands were clammy, but I didn't say anything. That would be our secret. At least he looked as if he wasn't the least bit nervous, I must've looked like a wreck. I also shook hands with Carlisle again, but it didn't feel as good as with Edward, it felt like a dead fish, he was so noncommital.

"Please, sit," my mother urged all of us. Somehow I ended up back on the couch with Edward sitting next to me, is back just as rigid as mine, and his eyes carefully avoiding looking anywhere near my direction.

"I know, Isabella, that you were set to marry another person this summer, and I am saddened to hear about how that didn't go as planned, but my son Edward will certainly be a good match for you," Carlisle said to me when we'd sat down. I hadn't expected him to say anything to me, nontheless an expression of sympathy, still it did not feel genuine at all.

"Thank you, Mr Cullen." I smiled weakly at him, hoping the gratitude in my voice didn't betray how little I believed him.

"I also know how much it was to ask of you to agree to the time frame, and I very much appreciate your cooporation." No one had ever specified to me how quickly this would go by, and by now I was dreading it. Was it less than a year? How much time did I have to get to know the man seated next to me, refusing to even look in my direction.

"Oh, no, we were left with so many balls hanging in the air that it will be easy for us to pick it up again, from the start, but we do have people to turn to." As my mother spoke it became clearer to me that they were most probably talking about less than a year, maybe I'd get a summer wedding after all.. I didn't dare to ask, not yet.

"So the date still works, we're on track ofr January 3rd?" I didn't hear my mother's response, other than it was a confirming one. January was only 3 months from now, just barely. I glanced over at Edward who seemed so cool and unaffected by all of this. Sure, he was much older and much more ready for marriage, but who could ever be ready to marry someone they haven't even known for 3 months? Was I okay with this?

"Three months?" I hadn't intended to say anything, but the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. Everyone turned to look at me, even Edward, who I noticed had a look of momentary shock written on his too beautiful features.

It was hard to breathe. Jacob I had known for 8 years, it would have been almost 9 by the time we got married. I was okay then, I was okay with being married at 20 because I knew him and trusted him. Jake was Jake, solid, dependable, sunshine. What was Edward? He was the stoic stranger sitting next to me on a couch, much older and experienced. Jake was all my firsts, I was all of his, we knew each other.

I closed my eyes, knowing I had to keep up a good front, I had to build up the walls, and I had to go through this. Jake was gone. When I had counted to ten and opened them again, I knew that everyone would see that I was fine, they believed the smile on my face, the 'alright' that passed my lips.

No matter what I had to get through this.

I had to.

* * *

There will be angst, because realistically... a 20 year old getting married to a stranger won't be too happy about it. Reasons, characters, reactions etc will be explained more as we go. Can't have it all at once, can we? hehe


	2. Chapter 2

I want to begin this note by saying that the arranged marriage is NOT the conflict in this story, and is simply a plot device. I can understand if you believe it is the story line, but... just wait and see. It is needed for what I want to tell, the summary is what the story is about. I don't want to say too much...

One thing I can promise is that this story will not be smacked with uncomfortable and unnecessary drama. Nothing irks me more than that in a story. I prefer shorter stories with a poignant heartfelt storyline as opposed to fillers and added drama to add chapters. I can't say how long this story will be, but probably somewhere between 10-20 chapters knowing myself. Now, lets get back to getting to know the characters and the storyline!

* * *

On the outside I was sure that I looked to be okay with all of this, I smiled cheerily whenever anyone looked my way. The happy bride to be. Inside I was anything but happy. Parts of me wanted to leap off of the couch and wrap my hands around Carlisle Cullen's throat. It was his suggestion, all of this. Never would my parents come up with the idea with such a hasty wedding. 20 was young to get married, even in Hawford most went off to college before marrying, got a degree for status. Jake was at college, as would I have been had it not been for my mother's admant refusal. She knew it would postpone the wedding another two years, if not more to accommodate my schedule, and that was too long in her eyes. I couldn't refuse her, either. Didn't know how to.

I was barely keeping up with the conversation, so when Edward turned to me for the first time I was startled out of my thoughts of strangling Carlisle, and looked at him perplexed.

"I said that we could go to look at rings, my father's got an appointment at a jewler just out of town," he said to me. It was the first thing he said to me, I realized, and in the same moment realized that I hadn't spoken a single word to him either. His voice was different from what I had expected; it was deeper, much more harsh. I was overcome with the need to express my feelings to him, to let my first words to him be something that he could respect me for.

"Okay." I disappointed myself with the single two syllable word that fell from my lips. Nothing like the words that were pressing at me in my head. Rings, engagement rings. I thought of the gold band that Jake had given me when he graduated from high school, the look on his face when he got down on one knee. Jake loved me, in a way I never loved him. Edward wouldn't get down on one knee, he'd stand next to me and not have a speech prepared about spending his whole life with his best friend.

I knew I had to forget Jake, but I couldn't. My heart ached too much.

Edward's car was not what I was expecting. Most people living in communities like Hawford owned cars that screamed status, but his was a modest silver Volvo. A family car. What kind of life did he have when he was away from his father, did he have another family somewhere that he had to abandon? A pang of guilt and sadness hit me. What was I taking this man from? No 27 year old had nothing, not someone like Edward. There must have been so much he left behind. How did I acknowledge that I knew this, that I understood?

Instead of reaching for his hand and telling him all of this, I sat down quietly on the soft leather seat. I looked out of the side window as he pulled out of our driveway, keeping the speed limit inside of Hawford. When we reached the gates I saw the faint reflection of him in my window as he waved to the man keeping the gate. He seemed like a kind man, I thought, like someone who would treat me with respect. Would there be more than respect though? It was the one thing I would demand, but could I survive on that? He broke the silence first, once we were out on the highway.

"How old are you, Isabella?" His voice was softer than it was back at my house, like he was almost concerned.

"I'm 20," I mumbled down at my hands that were clasped in my lap.

"Jesus, you won't even be able to drink at our...," he trailed off. I glanced to the side and saw his knuckles turn white as they squeezed the steering wheel. "When is your birthday?"

"September 13th." He rubbed his eye, obviously frustrated with my age. "When... when is your birthday?"

"June 20th."

"Gemini," I said, looking up at him.

"What?" His eyebrows furrowed, and he quickly took his eyes off of the road to look at me.

"You're a gemini, I'm virgo." I blushed, of course most people thought zodiac signs were absolute bollocks, but I thought it was fun.

"Is that any good?" he asked, a smile spreading on his face. It looked good on him.

"Not really, it could be worse though," I admitted, smiling too.

"Could be worse, well that's something."

The store front had an exclusive air to it. The windows were covered with lace curtains, and on the window written in gold stood Geraci, and on cushioned pillows laid a small sortiment of gold links and rings. The front door was closed, and a sign hung in it to tell everyone that only those who had booked a time would be let inside, and the number to call if you desired a time with them. I'd passed by this store on several occasions, it wasn't far from the strip where I went with my friends to shop, and I knew that the silver pendant necklace my father had given me for my 16th birthday came from this store. It was with a swan, and as he had put it on me he kissed my cheek and whispered in my ear that I was as beautiful as only a swan could be. The memory still made me blush.

Edward pressed the door bell, the awkward silence had once again resumed, after I had informed him of our predicted compatibility. At the time it seemed nice, but once the careful smiles faded we had nothing more to say to each other. It made me wonder if he thought I was foolish, talking about astrolgy.

A tall woman opened the door. She wore two inch black high heels, and a black shin length dress that was modest yet followed her every curve tightly. I looked like a child next to her.

"We have a time now at noon," Edward said to the woman. "Under Cullen."

"Yes, come on in." She opened up the door wider and walked us towards a green antique couch. "Please sit down while I inform Mr Geraci that you have arrived." She swept her hand towards the couch, and waited until both of us had sat down before she disappeared through a door.

In the room we were in there was only the couch we were sitting on, a small coffee table with a plate of fruits on it. On the walls hung paintings of men and women in period clothes, wearing heavy jewlery. We had barely sat down for half a minute before the woman appeared again.

"Mr Geraci is stuck in a meeting, since you are a bit early he hadn't had time to finish up yet, would you like something to drink while you are waiting?" She looked nervous, as if she was expecting us to lash out at her because we were early. I looked over at Edward to see if he would ask for anything.

"Water please," he said, and I followed his lead and asked for the same. When the woman was gone from the room again, he turned to look at me. "Do you have an idea of what you want?"

"No, I don't know, maybe a... I like silver," I said. I'd never been the type of girl to fawn over engagement rings, I was much more eager about the commitment, being married. Maybe not to Edward, though.

"Don't you girls have everything planned out?" His voice was sharp, judging. I knew how girls appeared to others, outsiders and men, our obsession with marriage and all things to it. For some girls that was the only way for them to feel as if they had some power over their lives, material things were easy to get your hands on and decide over. Deciding on a ring could be one of the few ways a young girl could feel more in charge of her fate. People couldn't understand it unless they felt it themselves.

"Not me," I said. Maybe one day I'd have time to explain to him, but now was not the time.

"All other girls know they want this big diamond ring, but not you?" I knew he thought I was bullshitting, and it exhausted me completely. How long would it take for him to stop being so hostile, did I really look to be so horrible?

"Have you ever taken the time to talk to those girls?" I bit back. He was stunned for a moment, as if he wasn't expecting me to retaliate. "You may have found a way out for a while, but most of us don't." I didn't have time to explain anymore because the woman came back into the room with our water.

"Here you go, if you have any questions, or want something, just ring this bell and I will be right with you," she said with a sweet smile, putting down a gold bell on the coffee table. It made a soft sound that reminded me of the bell my kindergarten teacher used to call us back in after recess.

"Thank you," Edward and I said in unision, and once again the woman disappeared. He was only silent for a few moments before he spoke up again.

"Would you want to leave, if you could?" The question made him sound young, as if he was my age and just discovering the potential life could have.

"Yes." There was no hesitation, I knew there was no point in lying to him, he would eventually find out about my lack of enthusiasm anyway.

"What would you do then?" He sounded genuinly interested. It was a question no one had asked me before, and I hadn't actually considered it. It was a foolish desire.

"I don't know." I shrugged and fiddled with my fingers. What would I want to do, for me? "I know I'd cook, food."

"You don't cook food now?" I shook my head.

"Mom won't let me, but my house cook has taught me a few things," I said with a smile. "I think I'd like to cook, maybe even a a chef or something like that." When I looked at him again his expression was soft, it was almost as if I could see that he was growing to respect me. That was good, that was exactly what I needed.

"How about after our wedding you take some classes, your mother can't stop you then," he said, raising his eyebrows suggestively. It did sound fantastic, and it was definitely why it was so appealing to get married; to get away from my mother.

"Thank you, Edward." When I smiled at him he returned my smile. Whatever may come we were in this together.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ten minutes later Geraci was able to take us in. He was an aging man, as short as I was, but somehow he exuded a sense of power and confidence that was seen in large body guards. He showed us the section of engagement rings that he had set out for us. There was a wide range of sorts, from ones with huge diamonds, and some more descreet. A few were simple bands with no decore on them at all. Edward had me try on several of the more descreet ones, probably he understood my description of wanting a band in silver as me not wanting something big. I never felt comfortable getting attention, and I knew big rings would get me just that. In the end I decided on a silver one with small light blue saphires imbedded in the band, Edward chose the color. It was one that wasn't too over the top, but fancy enough so that my mother would be satisfied and not pitch a fit over how cheap Edward Cullen was.

On our way out of the store my ring finger felt heavy, and it felt unnatural. I'd gotten used to have a ring on it for so long, but since Jake it had been left naked, now I wondered how I could've everr gotten used to a ring on me.

Since neither of us had any desire to return back to our families at my house, we took a detour to a small restaurant we both knew no one in our circuits would visit. It was a hole in the wall with greasy cheap food served in bigger portions than I would ever be able to eat.

We both ordered hamburgers with fries, unsure of what the other items on the menu were exactly. At least I was unsure, he must've been to a lot of places like this before, I imagined that college and the time after it was a period when he discovered most of what the world we were born into didn't have.

The tables were greasy, the chairs were wobbly, and the walls were made out of white tiles. I suspected that they were easier to clean.

"Have you been here before?" he asked me when we sat down, waiting for them to call out that our order was done. No servers, like there were in most restaurants I'd been to.

"No, never," I said shaking my head. "Have you?"

"A few times, I used to go here with my girlfriend in high school." He smiled fondly at the memory, and if I had had any emotional ties to him maybe I'd been jealous of her. Right now I was just curious of his life, why he had left, how, and why he had returned.

"Were you going to marry her?" If so, what had happened to her? Had she married someone else?

"Yes, I guess... we both went off to college together, same college and everything," he said, and then paused, as if he was debating if he was going to tell me the rest. "I knew she was never into me, we were more like best friends. When we got to college she and I started to become distant, and then during sophmore year she revealed that she wasn't just not into me, she wasn't into any boys, she liked girls." Edward smiled, as if the memory was a fond one, but also one that was amusing to him. "It didn't really shock me, and I guess that was part of the reason why I left, too."

"Her parents didn't accept her?" It wouldn't be surprising, many of the people in Hawford were very conservative, and often spoke against anything that wasn't heterosexual monagomous marriage that could lead to children.

"No, they cut her off completely," he said with a shrug. "She didn't come out until after college, so she at least got her college degree, so she's done quite okay, right now she's in Washington trying to get the right to marry her fiancé."

"Do you keep in touch?" I wonder what she would think about him returning to the community that kicked her out.

"Not as much as we used to, time does that," he said. Just then our order was called out, and Edward got up and brought both of our trays over to where I was sitting.

"I always had this idea about growing up that was very different from how it actually is, I imagined all these friends from high school still being there, and we would have play-dates with our children, and my life would be perfect and problem free..." I trailed off, taking a fry off of the tray instead.

"You graduated a year ago, right?" I nodded. "That's a bit early to have people disappear?"

"Shit happened, and people don't trust me right now." I didn't want to think about Jessica, Angela, or Lauren. The last time we talked we said so many awful things, and even if I get married now I was unsure if our friendship would ever be mended.

"You don't want to talk about it?" I took a bite of my hambruger and shook my head. "Okay, oh and you've got mustard..." he pointed at the left corner of his lips My cheeks flushed, and I reached for the napkin, wiping off a good chunk of mustard off of my cheek.

"Huh, that's digusting." I folded the napkin and put it down on the tray behind the cup with coke in it.

"I find it rather adorable." Edward wasn't what I had expected. I hadn't really expected anything, but I knew it wasn't this. When Jake was gone I didn't think I could find anyone like him, that I was doomed with a future stuck with someone who would never view me as a person like he did. Now Edward sat in front of me, so unexpected.

"Thank you, Edward."

"For what?" Confusion glimmered in his eyes, but a smile was still etched on his lips.

"For being... good." The confusion disappeared, and I saw a sympathy in them that burned me. I looked down and looked at my plate. He didn't say anything about it though, instead we both turned to our food and consumed it as we hadn't eaten for days. My ring felt a bit lighter on my finger.

We returned to my house three hours after we had left. After eating we had taken a short walk in the local park, we had stopped near a playground and I had been hit with the realisation that in a couple of years we could be back there with our own kids. I'd spent a lot of the time watching Edward watch the children. He didn't seem to be repelled by them, but only seemed mildly interested in them. For a while I thought he was indifferent of children, which was better than men who wanted to flee the other way, until a child's cry pierced through the laughter and his eyes frantically started seraching for the crying child.

It appeared as if Edward was quickly filling the list of wants I had for a future husband. That the dad of my children would be interested in his own children was a must for me, to the extent that I could decide.

My mother wasn't pleased with how long we had been gone. They had run out of topics to talk with Carlisle with, and the lunch had been awkward, and they had to give him a tour of our gardens to keep him entertained. As soon as I laid eyes on her I saw how stressed out she had been. That I and Edward hit it off wasn't important right now, other things were far more important.

All of us were whisked into the sitting room where a woman I had never met before sat in one of the arm chairs, her head burried in a book filled with clippings and handwritten notes. She had fire red hair in big curls that fell around her face that had soft freckles on it.

"Isabella, Edward, this is Victoria Noack, she's a wedding planner that will help us get everything done in time, Mrs Noack, this is Bella and Edward."

"Nice to finally meet you two," Mrs Noack said, shaking our hands. "Sit down, we have a lot to go through today." Once she was seated again she started to flip through the book she had been looking into before. "I took the liberty of asking your parents for your schedules these next few months, and I have been able to book in a few things."

Both of us watched as she continued to flip through the book until she stopped at a page with a satisfied look on her face.

"Next week, on October 10th, Isabella has a time booked to look at wedding dresses, I'm going to e-mail you the exact time and place, on the 11th both of you are going to go to the venue where you are getting married to sign a few documents and discuss what you want your wedding to be like with them, we're going to go through all of that today also, on the 13th Edward, you are getting fitted for your tuxedo, then I don't have anything confirmed until November 20th when you're going to decide on a cake for the wedding." She paused, and seemed to be catching a breath for the first time before she launched into talking again. "On October 29th you will have your engagement party, so before then we need the two of you to have something to wear, and my trainee will be the one in charge of that party since we have so little time, but I assure you that she is very competent."

"That's a lot," I said in a breath. It was overwhelming.

"That's not all of it, you need to have bridesmaids dresses fitted and decided on, floral arrangement, not just for the reception but for your boquet, the menue at the reception, a guest list, seating arrangements, music, the band, china, a catering company... a lot, and we've got a limited time frame."

"Can you do all of this in that time?" I asked, baffled. "Can we have a big wedding when it's only 3 months away?"

"When you have the power your parents have, you can do anything you want," Mrs Noack said. I nodded, of course. Money and power makes a lot of things possible. "It will be incredibly stressful, and not one of the best weddings I have planned, but it will be beautiful, and it will be on time."

"Is there anyway to not let it be... too big?" Edward asked, glancing at me quickly before looking at Mrs Noack.

"It is both of your parents' wishes that this will be of appropriate size, and a Cullen and a Swan marrying is big," she said, as if it was a fact. Of course both of our families had large reputations, especially the Cullen family, but our marriage being a big deal woul depend solely on the attendees, and the people in our community. Given that Edward had just recently returned, and that I had no friends, my wedding being a big deal wasn't something I saw happening easily.

"It didn't hurt to ask."

Mrs Noack brough up a few other important details about our upcomming wedding that we might have confirmed dates for in a few days times. Most would take place this month, to allow preperation and everything to be finished by the new year. After that we got to talking about how we wanted our wedding to look. My mother had already decided that it was going to be a classic wedding, with traditional vows, cermony, and reception, which Edward's father agreed with.

Neither Edward or I had any idea what kind of wedding we wanted, outside of that. I suggested a flower girl, which Mrs Novack wrote down fevirishly, which sparked the question of what kind of flowers, and what color theme. In the end Edward and I went with a simple white and blue, one which my mother would probably disagree with a lot, and suggest something like muted lilac and sky blue. It felt good to have decided on something with Edward, though.

By the end of our meeting the sun was hanging heavy in the sky, casting long shadows over the garden. My head felt heavy with information, and slightly panicked over the decisions we had made. Albeit it may have been far less important than other decisions we will be making, it was still permanent decisions about a day that would always be marked in my memory.

Carlisle had left hours ago, after spending the five minute break from discussions with Edward talking in the hallway. I had wanted to eavesdrop, but was too afraid to get caught to even attempt to do it. It was only Edward and I, alone again, standing on the front steps of my house, watching the shadow my house casted on the ground in front of us. The iron gate was closed at the end of the small drive way, and Edwards car was parked right in front of the house, just where we had left it a few hours ago.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked after a while of heavenly silence. There had been so much talking today that the silence was welcome in my ears.

"It's a lot to take in..." From the steps we were standing on I could see over the roof of the house in front of us. Hawford was set on a small hill, and the house just opposite us was on a decline. Behind it I could see a the motorway, the one we had been on today, and then beyond it was a massive forest that seemed to swallow all light that touched it.

"That's not what I asked." I turned my head to look at him, and saw that he was looking at me. During the day I had noticed the crease between his bushy eyebrows whenever he was concenrating, or thinking hard about something, and it was there now. I had the urge to reach forward and smooth it out with my thumb, but managed to quell it.

"I'm okay, my head just feels heavy... it feels better now that it did this morning," I admitted. "I was scared this morning, now I'm... I just want to go to bed now, I didn't sleep well last night."

"I'll let you go to bed then, Isabella." He took my hand and kissed it before walking down the steps towards his car. Halfway there he stopped and turned around, looking up at me. "And, just so you know, it feels better for me now, too, Isabella." I smiled a toothy grin at him.

"Call me Bella," I answered.

"Good night, Bella," he said, his name rolling off of his tongue as if he was tasting it for the first time.

"Good night Edward."

* * *

Do you believe me now? Hehe... The story's conflict isn't the arranged marriage! Edward/Bella will have their conflicts, but it's rather boring with another story where the initially hate each other, right?

Next chapter will be up whenever it is written. I know I should run this through a spell checker and everything... but I am far too lazy for that! I can write a chapter in half a day, but it can also take two weeks... (but it won't, not now)... c'ya then! :)

Also, I have a rec for those who are into Jake/Bella stories: Go Forward With Courage ur:l /s/8553284/21/  
And a rec for Eddie/Bella that insipred this story somewhat: Me and Mr Cullen url: /s/7925096/1/


End file.
